Review: Chains of Fire: The Chosen Ones by Christina Dodd

         Chains of Fire is the story of Isabelle and Samuel who from the first book in the series have been promising to be an interesting read. They have a shared past childhood, two past romances, and a whole lot of issues. Namely, a lack of trust and fear of intimacy deeper than sex.
         Over the course of the book we learn that Samuel once used his mind control on Isabelle, he thought for good reasons, but she felt used and betrayed. So she refuses to allow herself to care for him again because she fears that he will hurt her again. This book throws her and Sam together and gives them no choice but to communicate to survive after an avalanche traps them underground. Sam has a serious ego which gets him nearly killed repeatedly as he tries to escape the situation, this behavior endangers Isabelle because she has to heal him and thus take on his injuries herself and possibly die. He learns to control his tempter in order to protect Isabelle.
           They escape but Isabelle does not stick around and runs out of habit, Sam follows and continues to trap her in small spaces for a little fun. And they continue to work on their trust issues. In the end, it is Isabelle who must take the step to trust Sam again after he faces the Devil himself.
           The book ends with some questions about that prophecy answered and more questions brought as one of the Chosen heads off to his own wedding to someone we have not met yet, and are not sure we should like.

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

           The first Suzanne Collins book I read was Gregor the Overlander and I have been reading her books ever since. When I picked up Hunger Games I was surprised and challenged to figure out what it was about this dystopia that made it so different from the rest. The last book in the series gives me the answer, the Heroine of the piece does not win and take control and become president. In today's modern world, that is unrealistic, rebel leaders rarely keep their position for long, they get killed by the next rebel leader.
           Katniss, topples the Capitol but does kill her enemy, instead she kills the enemy of the people and it is not who you expect. She recognized a danger few do, that one monster dictator is most often replaced with another and safely delivers her people from another dictatorship into the chaos that results in a hasty election, but still an election with a leader who did not expect the job but is perfectly capable.
           Then Katniss has to make her choice, Gale or Peeta. I felt like the choice was made by the men, she is not the type to just let her love go but she decided to wait and see who showed up. After her trial Katness is quietly "exiled" to district 12 and she watches her community begin to rebuild. And she tries to rebuild herself, knowing her family will never be the same. So who appears to help her with her grief, well you have to read it. However, he does the right thing for her even though she does not like it. She hates even the smell of roses but her sister's name was Primrose. He helps her rediscover her love for her sister's namesake and thus recover from a bit from her trauma. Could her other beau have been as understanding of how to force her to heal?